Denmark and Spain claim victories in the EuroVolley 2026 Qualification

The qualification for the 2026 European Championship continues. This time, we discuss the matches between Denmark and Türkiye (men) and Portugal and Spain (women).

Pool A, Men, Denmark vs Türkiye 3:0 (25:23, 25:23, 27:25)

Denmark had already played one match against Hungary in Group A, winning 3:0. For Türkiye, this was their first match in the Qualification.

The Danish team played this match at home, with their supporters cheering them on. However, in the first half of the first set, they were mostly trailing the Turkish players rather than leading. Midway through the set, the situation changed, and the confident Turkish team slightly lost their defensive power. Meanwhile, the Danes made a few successful plays and pulled ahead in the score. By the end of the set, they led 20:17. The end of the set was tense, with the Turkish players nearly closing the gap to 22:23. Then, a successful attack by the Danish opposite hitter and excellent block defense in the final rally helped them win the first set 25:23.

The beginning of the second set was the opposite of the previous one, as the Danes, feeling confident, immediately took the lead. However, by the middle of the set, Türkiye caught up with their opponents at 17:17. The end of the set was very tight, with the Danes scoring their 24th point thanks to an attack by Mads JENSEN, after which the Turkish coach called a timeout. The tactic worked, and the visitors managed to close the gap to 23:24, prompting the Danish coach to call a timeout. Mads JENSEN sealed the set with a diagonal attack.

The third set followed the same pattern as the previous one, with the Danes again taking a double lead at 8:4. Similarly, the Turkish team quickly closed the gap and tied the score at 10:10. After a few brilliant attacks, Türkiye took the lead at 14:13. It felt like a complete déjà vu, as the teams were very close, just like in the second set. The leader remained unclear, but the Danes were the first to reach match point with a slight advantage. The match ended with an ace from the home team and a 3:0 victory.

Top scorer Mads Kyed JENSEN (DEN) - 18 points.

Pool E, Women, Portugal vs Spain 0:3 (20:25, 22:25, 21:25)

Portugal approached this game with one win over Georgia, 3:0. For Spain, this was their first match in Group E.

Although Portugal played the match at home, the first set and the match overall were challenging for them. Initially, the teams played similarly strong volleyball, with Portugal leading by a few points. However, closer to the end of the first set, Spain began to rapidly increase their advantage. The Spanish players were much more confident in attack, with 18 winning spikes compared to 8 from their opponents. Portugal looked slightly more confident on the block (3 to 1), but this was not enough to take the lead at the end. Thus, the first set went to Spain 25:20, with Julia DE PAULA VIANA and Maria SEGURA PALLERES each scoring 5 points.

In the second set, the Spanish players immediately launched an attack, quickly scoring 5 points compared to Portugal's 1, forcing their coach to call a timeout to give his team a breather. Midway through the set, the Portuguese team made a strong push with 3 consecutive successful attacks and an ace, causing the Spanish coach to nervously call a timeout at 14:10. It worked, and the Spanish team immediately scored their 15th point. They maintained their advantage until the end of the set, where Portugal showed their strong character and chased their opponents. They managed to reduce the gap to just 2 points at 22:24, but Spain executed an attack on set point and took the second set.

In the third set, Portugal already had 5 kill blocks by the middle of the set, compared to 0 from their opponents. They were still trailing in attack but compensated with improved defense. The home team managed to take a slight lead and revive the intrigue in the match. Despite this, Spain again managed to pull away in the score towards the end of the set and finished the match with a 3:0 victory.

Top Scorer - Julia DE PAULA VIANA (ESP) - 16 points.